The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has purchased 1,249 acres
of the Cabo Rojo Salt Flats to triple the size of the Cabo Rojo National
Wildlife Refuge. Three million dollars from the Land and Water Conservation
Fund and one and a half million dollars from the Wetland Reserve Program
of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS) purchased the land located in southwestern Puerto Rico
to become part of the National Wildlife Refuge System on March 10, 1999.

This purchase will allow the Service to conserve and protect the single
most important point of convergence for migratory shorebirds in Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Service officially designated
the salt flats a Resource Category 1, which is the highest possible
ranking that can be given to a wetland area and implies that the area
is considered unique and irreplaceable on a national or ecoregional
basis. The coastline, mangroves, seagrass beds, and offshore coral reefs
next to the area are prime fish habitat, and are considered special
aquatic sites. In addition, the seagrass beds provide feeding habitat
for sea turtles and manatees.

The preservation of these wetlands is a positive step in preventing
loss of habitat needed to help sustain migratory and wintering neotropical
bird populations. The majority of the Cabo Rojo salt flats remain undeveloped
and serve as an important stopover and wintering area for thousands
of shorebirds. The salt flats are positioned in the Atlantic flyway
and are a vital nesting ground for the snowy plover, least tern, Wilson's
plover, black-necked stilt, and killdeer. The area and its adjacent
waters also provide resting and feeding habitat for several threatened
and endangered species such as the piping plover, peregrine falcon,
yellow-shouldered blackbird, brown pelican, manatee and several species
of sea turtles. Indeed, no fewer than 118 bird species have been recorded
for the area.

Areas purchased by the Service and the NRCS Wetland Reserve Program
include Fraternidad and Candelaria Lagoons and coastlines along Bahia
Sucia and Bahia Salinas. In partnership with the Service, the Department
of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) acquired additional portions
of the salt flats for conservation. The DNER area includes Combate Beach,
the southern coastline of Bahia Salinas and 75.7 acres of upland property.
This purchase, utilizing Puerto Rico Highway Authority mitigation funds,
in conjunction with existing DNER holdings along the coast will afford
more protection to the resources and link vital habitat fragments.

Val Urban, manager of the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, will oversee management of the new addition to the Cabo Rojo
National Wildlife Refuge. "It is a significant achievement that this
important wetland habitat has been preserved for future generations,"said
Urban.

"Our agency will be working closely with the Department of Natural
and Environmental Resources to manage the area in a manner that will
ensure the protection of plants, animals, and other coastal resources
for years to come."

The purchase and subsequent protection of the Cabo Rojo salt flats
marks 10 years of cooperation between Federal and Commonwealth agencies
in conjunction with non-governmental groups favoring protection of the
Cabo Rojo Salt Flats.

"I would like to acknowledge the Trust for Public Land as a partner
in the acquisition of the Salt Flats," said Urban. "Chris Rogers of
the Trust, who oversaw negotiations with the land owners and helped
secure the necessary funding, played a key role."

Urban commended the Puerto Rico Conservation Foundation for it's support
and endorsement of the project. The Foundation helped focus public interest
by generating a letter writing campaign to Congress in support of the
acquisition. In addition, the personal interest of Juan Martínez, State
Conservationist for NRCS, was particularly significant in the acquisition
effort, as was the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'
Regulatory Division in approving the use of mitigation funds for the
DNER part of the acquisition. Other organizations, as well as many concerned
citizens, supported the efforts to protect this area.

"This is a great day for everyone who values the environment for birdwatching,
hiking, or just knowing there will always be something wild left for
our children," said Martínez.

Commonwealth agencies involved in the acquisition included the Department
of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Puerto Rico Highway Authority.
The support of the Governor of Puerto Rico, Dr. Pedro Roselló, the Resident
Commissioner, Carlos Romero Barceló, and the Secretary of DNER, Daniel
Pagán was particularly important in securing Land and Water Conservation
Funds and Highway Authority mitigation funds.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands
of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates
66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance
offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces
Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages
migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries,
conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps
foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees
the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars
in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.